Rotating spike-machine



E. B. WHITE. MAKING RAILROAD SPIKBS.

No. 6,666. Patented Aug. 28, 1849;

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EDWIN B. WHITE, OF NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

ROTATING SPIKE-MACHINE.

. Specification of Letters Patent No. 6,666, dated August 28, 1849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN B. WHITE, of Nashua, in the county ofHillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful or Improved Machinery for Making Railroad-Spikes; and I do herebydeclare that the same 1s fully described .and represented in thefollowing specification, and accompanylng drawlngs, letters, figures,and references thereof.

Of the said drawings Figure 1, denotes a top view of my improvedmachine. Fig. 2, a side elevation of it. Fig. 3, a central vertical andlongitudinal section of it. Fig. 4, is an end view of one of the arms ofthe series of gripping arms. Fig. 5, is a side view of the said seriesof gripping arms, as detached from the rest of the machinery. Fig. 6, isa longitudinal and vertical section of the pointing dies and theirmovable gage.

In such of the said drawings as the same is seen A, represents the maintable or frame for supporting the operative parts of my machine.

B, is the driving shaft, having a pinion or gear C, fixed on it whichpinion engages with a gear wheel D, fixed on a horizontal shaft E,supported by and made to revolve in bearings F, F.

G, is the stationary pointing die, and H, the movable one, they beingarranged and shaped as seen in Figs. 1 and 6. The two dies G, H, aredisposed in line with each other, and have a stationary gripping die I,placed on one side of them, and a movable gripping die K, arranged onthe opposite side of them as seen in Fig. 1. The movable gripping dieturns on a pin or fulcrum a, and is moved toward and away from the fixeddie I, by means of two toggle joints L, M, which are actuated (that iseither brought into a straight line or on angle with each other) by apitman N, and an eccentric or cam O, the latter being fixed on the shaftE, and made to operate alternately against two pins, or studs, 6, 0,projecting from the side of the pitman; The movable pointing die H, isfastened to a carriage P, to which a reciprocating rectilinear motion,in a di rection toward and away from the stationary die G, is given bymeans of a connecting rod (Z, and a bell crank e, on the shaft E.

Between and below the two pointing dies is, what I term, the movablegage, which consists of a block f, fixed on the upper arm of a bentlever g, which plays or rocks on a fulcrum h, the lower arm of the saidlever being jointed to a pitman or connecting rod 2', to which areciprocating movement is imparted by a cam or eccentric 7a, fixed on ahorizontal shaft Z. This movable gage is caused to pass a short distanceupward and between the two pointing dies every time the movable one ofthem depart-s or moves away from the fixed one. In so doing it is to bemade to rise up a short distance above the lower edges of the pointingfaces of the two dies; this distance being sufficient to allow space forthe spread of the metal during the operation of making the point, whichtakes place after the departure of the gage, or its downward depressionfrom between the dies. As soon as the gage has been raised up betweenthe pointing dies, the movable gripping die is to be advanced toward itsfellow or fixed die, and so as to hold the spike blank at the properaltitude between the pointing dies; it being understood that the spikerod or blank to be pointed has previously, and while the gage is up toits highest position, been introduced between the dies, and so that itslower end shall rest upon the top of the gage. The object of the movablegage it will be seen is to so adjust the spike blank or rod, that theremay be the proper room for extensionor spread of the metal during theaction of the point-ing dies; the same being arranged so as to be justsufiicient to bring the metal down to the angular point I requiredwithout any unnecessary strain on the pointing dies. The gage t, isprovided with an orifice or opening m, to which a water pipe may beattached. From this orifice two small passages or ducts n, 0, lead insuch manner as to cause water when forced through them to strike in oneor more streams against the face of each of the pointing dies; the samebeing for the purpose of keeping the same from being overheated, or atthe proper temperature. Any suitable apparatus for supplying the waterand injecting it into the orifice and through the discharging ducts maybe employed.

After the spike blank has been pointed it is removed from the dies anddropped with its point downward into a spout or hopper P, whose lowerend has a movable bottom, or lever slide 2), adapted to it; see .Fig. 7,which denotes an underside view of the same, the said slide being madeto play or discharging mouth of the hopper by a spring a". The saidhopper is made to communicate with a conductor or spout Q, which issupported by a movable rocker frame R, and over the series of grippingarms S, S, S, &c., of the heading machinery.

A side view of the movable frame R, and conductor Q is seen in Fig. 8.This movable frame consists of two upright bars 1", 8, connectedtogether by two horizontal cross bars 6, a. Each of the upright bars issupported on a fulcrum pin 22, inserted through its lower end, and inthe frame A. A retractive spring w, is also applied to each of the barst, u, and the frame A, as seen in Fig. 2.

The lower end of the conductor Q, has a slide valve 1;, applied to it,the same consisting of a plate of metal made to turn on a pin w,inserted and fixed in the underside of the cross bar a, see Figs. 8 and9, the latter being an underside view of said slide plate or valve 1).The said slide plate bears against a retractive spring y, and has a studas, projecting down from its opposite end. The manner in which the slideplate 2), and the frame R, are made to operate will be hereinafterdescribed.

The heading mechanism is as follows: S, S, S, are a series of grippingarms, made to radiate at equal distances asunder from a horizontal shaftT, which is rotated by means of a cogged wheel U, (fixed upon it), whichengages with another cogged wheel U, fixed on a horizontal shaft V; thesaid wheel U, being put in revolution by a pin ion or gear W, whichengages with a gear X, placed on the shaft E, hereinbefore mentioned.

A series of headers or radial arms Z, Z, Z, Z, are made to extend fromthe shaft V, and to respectively cooperate with the gripper arms S, S,S, S. Each of the said gripper arms contains a socket, made in it asseen in end view at a, in Fig. 4; that is to say one half of the socketor die for holding the spike blank is made or constructed in the arm,while the other or movable half of the socket or die, is formed in thegripper b, which is hinged at its lower end to the arm, and moves orplays within a space out out of the arm. The socket or space be tweenthe arm and gripper is arranged diagonally, or so that the gripper aswell as the arm shall act against two adjacent sides of the spike blank.Consequently when the spike blank is introduced between the arm, and thegripper b, and the latter is closed down they bear equally on the foursides of the said blank, and thereby hold it more firmly while the headis being made, than it is held by a gripper and arm, which operates orgrips it by two only of its sides.

To the side of each gripper b, a small friction roller 0, is fixed asseen in Figs. 4 and 5. A small lever cl, is also applied to a fulcrumfixed to the gripper arm; one end of the lever being made to extendunderneath a small hook e, fixed in the side of the gripper. The saidlever is to act in connection with a cam or wiper, and to open thegripper or draw it away from the arm S, in such manner as to release thespike blank after it has been headed. The said cam is shown at f; Fig.10, which is a vertical and transverse section of a ring or cam plate 9,which is fixed to the front side of the frame A, as seen in Fig. 2, andalso in Fig. 11, which is an end view of the machine. Fig. 12 is a rearside view of the ring or cam plate g, and shows not only the position ofthe wiper or cam f, but also that of another wiper 71/, (seen also inFig. 10,) which is to operate against the friction roller 0, of

each gripper, and so as to close or force down the gripper at the propertime.

On the outer end of each gripper arm S, there is a small stud orprojection i, which, during the revolution of the arm, is brought by itin contact with the stud m, of the slide plate of the conductor Q, andthereby presses said slide plate aside or away from the mouth or lowerend of the conductor, in such manner as to allow a spike blank which maybe therein, to drop out of the same and into the socket a, or betweenthe gripping jaws of the heading machinery. The slide plate when pressedaside from the conductor is pressed against a pin or stock made toproject in a proper manner, from the underside of the bar u, and as thearm S, continues its motion, the consequence will be that it will createa forward movement of the frame R, until the stud a", slips off the studw. This being done the retractive springs w, w, bring back the framewith force and so as to cause the upper end of the conductor Q, tostrike against the slide 39, of the hopper P, and so move the same fromover the end of the said hopper, as to permit a spike blank previouslydeposited therein to drop into the conductor.

As the operation of pointing a spike blank is carried on, while anotherspike blank is being introduced into the gripping dies of the arms S, S,S, &c., and the heading operation is being performed, some contrivance,

(in consequence of the peculiar method in which the frame R, operates,)is requisite to receive the spike blank, directly after it is pointed,and before it is introduced into the conductor Q. This contrivance isthe hopper and its slide plate hereinabove explained.

During the revolution of each arm S, its Y outer end is met by and rollsin contact with the outer end of some one of the heading arms Z, Z, Z,Z, which is properly formed for compressing or bending the spike blankdown in the shape of the head required to be made on it. Soon after thespike has slide in combination with the conductor Q, and its movableframe R, the whole being made to operate together substantially as 15above explained.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my signature this thirteenth dayof February A. D. 1819. v

EDWIN B. WHITE.

Witnesses:

F RANOIS P. WHITTEMORE, B. B. WHITTEMORE.

